AROUND HALF THE WORLD IN SIX MONTHS

Several family members have asked how our ancestors traveled to the United States. Ship the entire way? Train? Walking? Covered Wagon? And what route would they have taken? I have to say that I’ve been equally curious about this and, until now, simply had a reasonable guess based on migration patterns of the time.

But now I know for certain how at least one of our ancestors came from Sweden to Iowa. An exciting find that I’m thrilled to share with you.

John Linn and his wife Brita Eriksdotter left Ulrika Parish in Ostergotland County on 25 April 1849. John and his wife appear on the ship manifest for the Virginia and arrived in New York on 24 August 1849, a trip across the ocean that took FOUR months. But that was not the end of their migration. And certainly there was a story to tell about the entire trip. But until now, I couldn’t fill in the blanks.

While going through one of my mom’s 3-ring notebooks, I came across a 35-page typewritten narrative written in 1879 and 1880 by another passenger who made the same trip with John and Brita. It’s wonderfully written with details to bring the trip alive for the reader. There is no way that I could summarize this narrative and do it any kind of justice; and so, I’m going to post it in parts that won’t be too long to read at one setting and will keep you intrigued to learn what happened next in their trip.

The narrative was written by Daniel Peterson who was 10 years old at the time of the emigration. He was the son of Anders Peterson and Maria Hansdotter, also of Ulrika Parish in Ostergotland County. While I cannot determine how John’s and Anders’ paths crossed, the farms they were on were in close proximity and they undoubtedly would have attended the same church. Family story tells us that Anders paid for John and his wife to come to America and we learn in the narrative that John worked for Anders, building his home, which lends support to John’s paying off a debt.

Because the narrative was published in a newspaper, I am assuming that my posting it for our family and friends to read would be of no concern.

Enjoy the first installment:

What an incredibly detailed process it was to receive the proper papers to leave Sweden. Being harassed by neighbors and friends, hearing tales of how doomed their lives would be if they crossed the ocean, and the expense of all of this...It's difficult to imagine our ancestors going through all of this to make their way to the new world. And there's more for them to face:

The work that had to be done, the harassment and warnings they received, clearly show in Daniel Peterson's writing. And remember that John Olausson Linn and his wife Brita Eriksdotter were going through the very same formalities and warnings. Next week we will learn about how they traveled to the port where they would sail for America. Just the beginning of an amazing trip to Iowa. And whether you are related directly to John Linn or not, this same process was waiting for the Olofsons and Rasks and Lundgrens and more of our ancestors. And given that Peter Linn came a year later and Gus two years later, I think it's reasonable to assume that their adventure was much the same as well.

If you are unable to enlarge the pages for your reading, please let me know. I can send a couple at a time through email. It's worth taking the time to read. A great find hidden in mom's notebooks.

OLOFSON PHOTOS

 I have so many photos of the Olofson family. From my great-great grandfather Olof and his second wife and family to William Olofson, his wife Olivia, and their children, and more. Today, I'll pick a few that I'm not sure I've shared before. I hope there are some new ones in here for you to enjoy.

Olof Olofson married Brita Rask in 1880 and together they raised William who was the son of Olof, Anna Sophia Charlotta who was the daughter of Brita, and the 7 children they had together. Below is a picture of this handsome group:

Taken around 1904, they are (back row) Charlie, Lottie (Anna Sophia Charlotta), William Edward, Hannah, Gilbert; (front row) Bada, Olof, Delbert, Brita, Leon, Alice.

Great-great grandfather Olof Olofson was one of 6 children, 5 of whom survived to adulthood. The following picture shows Anna, Greta, and Kerstin in the back with Olof, who was blind by this time, and Lars.

William Edward Olofson and Olivia Rask, my great-grandparents, were married on October 17, 1889, and below is their wedding photo:

Next are two of my favorite photos of William and Olivia. Both show them in a buggy pulled by horses. One in the summertime dressed to impress. The other was in the winter, dressed for the very cold Iowa winters.

Olof Olofson with his dog and his cane:

Next is a photo of Olivia Rask Olofson and her son Vernie, my great uncle.

And finally, pictures of my grandmother Maude Edith Olofson Linn and her sister Lilly Sophy Olofson Lundgren.

I hope you've enjoyed these few picture of our Olofson ancestors. I love seeing their clothes and the glimpses into their lives before any of us where here.

Next week I'll post photos of other relatives: Lundgrens, Barquists, Rasks, and others.

 

Linn Photos

To everyone who finds this blog,

I apologize for being absent for a few weeks. Life does have a way of putting some things to the front and pushing others to the back of our lives. But you can see from the photo below, one big piece of news our family is sharing:

On September 9, Penny Belle joined our family and clearly is loved by her two big brothers, Colton and Max. We are overjoyed by this new addition; and you can be sure that she and her brothers will know their family history and learn about their lives that made it possible for all of us to be here to welcome a new life.

In addition to helping with our grandchildren, I've also been spending a great deal of time in front of my computer, going through the thousands of photos and documents that I've inherited from mom, scanning many photos, and adding them to my ancestry.com page. If any of you have an ancestry account, let me know and I'll invite you to be a guest so you can see all of the work I've been doing there.

But I also want to use a couple of these posts to share some of the more interesting photos that I've found and scanned. In this blog, I'll concentrate on Linn photos. Next time around, I'll move to the Olofsons; and after that maybe a look at Lundgrens, Rasks, and others to whom we are related.

Charles Henry Linn was my second great uncle, the youngest child of Gus and Catherine Lundblad Linn. As a young man, Charles and his wife Louise moved to Nebraska where they raised two children, Wallace, and Helen. You may recall the death of Charles was quite unusual. Below is a reminder from the Omaha newspaper:

Omaha Daily Bee, August 19, 1913:

During the severe storm that visited Kansas City Saturday night Charles H. Linn, 2511 Ames avenue, was killed by a lightning shock while using the telephone. The bolt had hit somewhere along the line just at a time when he had the receiver to his ear. He died shortly afterwards. Surviving him besides the widow are two children, Wallace and Helen, both of whom live at home.

Mr. Linn was 46 years of age and conducted a business at Kansas City. His home, however, was in Omaha. 

Isn't Charles a fine looking man, dressed to impress?

Next is a photo of my great uncle Frank Linn, brother of Peter and Elsie Linn. He is holding one of our dear cousins, Joan, who just celebrated another birthday last weekend.

Below is a photo of Julia Linn Berg. Julia was said to have been the first white child born in Webster County, Iowa. The daughter of John Linn and his first wife, Julia was born on January 8, 1851. She married a minister, Rev. Peter Berg, and had two daughters, Edna and Frances.

Julia died in 1905 after an operation for cancer.

I love the photos that show our ancestors as young people, living fun lives. Laughing, dancing, playing instruments, and the following. A photo of Peter Linn with Ken Carlson on the back of a motorcycle in 1913. Wouldn't any of us love to have that motorcycle today?

Cedar Brook farm is where Andrew and Elin Andersson Linn lived and raised their 3 children. Standing outside their front door is Elin, Elsie, Andrew; and in front Frank and Peter Linn.

Between the Linns and Olofsons, there were many cousins for our parents to play with. The picture below shows many of them. I left the handwritten labels on there so you can find those to whom you are related. They are all related to me.

The Linns and Olofsons were musical families. And so were the Lundgrens. Below is a photo that shows Pete Linn on both the mandolin and banjo. Others in the photos, I believe, are Lundgrens.

Do you know the story of how Pete Linn and Floyd Olsen managed to move a very, very heavy rock from the farm south of Dayton to the park near the Dayton elementary school? Read the article below to learn just how difficult it was.

It was dedicated as a memorial rock for local soldiers who served in the Civil War. What a great tribute and one I'm so proud that my grandfather was a major part of.

Our Linns must have been very, very social. I have so many photos of parties, dances, card playing, and more. Sadly, most are unlabeled. But my last photo for this post is one that was labeled. I've kept the labels so you, too, can recognize some of the important members of our family.

I hope you enjoyed this look at some of our ancestors and their daily activities. While this is a huge job for me that will take years, I'm enjoying learning more about my ancestors and scanning as many photos as I can.

Next week: the Olofsons